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New Zealand Rugby Union to introduce integrity unit

New Zealand Rugby Union will establish an integrity unit, following in the footsteps of high-profile Australian codes.

NZRU general manager of professional rugby Neil Sorensen confirmed on Sunday the unit had been under discussion for about a year and should be in place in six months.

It would cover all integrity issues facing players including match-fixing, legal and illegal drugs and alcohol.

Last month it was revealed New Zealand rugby league players misused prescription medication during last year's World Cup.

Those players were warned about mixing sleeping pills and energy drinks, which is said to have a sedative effect, but Sorensen said the establishment of an integrity unit was not a reaction to the practice.

"We've been thinking about integrity now for over a year," he told NZ Newswire.

"The sleeping pill thing has been on our radar for about that long as well, so that will just be another thing that goes into the unit for discussion really."

The unit was about "keeping up with it all," he added.

"There's always something new."

Last year, the NRL set up an integrity unit in response to an investigation into doping across Australian sporting codes.

The AFL also established an integrity unit in 2008 but NZRU's unit wouldn't be as big as those in Australia, because the union had a fraction of the professional players.

"But then again we're not going to rest on our laurels," Sorensen said.

"We need to be really alert and keep educating ourselves about this stuff."

The NZRU unit is expected to be about 90 per cent focused on education and 10 per cent on auditing activities.

Issues such as abuse of prescription medications must be looked at and combatted because of the health risks, despite being potentially legal.

"We've got more concerns about the health of the person than whether it makes them a better rugby player to be honest," he said.

"Misusing prescription drugs that have been prescribed by a specialist - it just doesn't feel right."